Filming the Fantastic: A Guide to
Visual Effects Cinematography by
Mark Sawicki
A Must Have For Any Filmmaker!
Dont waste valuable time and budget fixing your footage in post! Shoot
the effects you want effectively and creatively the first time.
This full-color step-by step guide to visual effects cinematography
empowers you to plan out and execute visual effects shots on a budget,
without falling into the common pitfall of using high-end computer graphics
to fix it in post. Learn how to effectively photograph foreground miniatures,
matte paintings, green screen set ups, miniatures, crowd replication,
explosions, and so much more to create elements that will composite
together flawlessly.

Filming the Fantastic focuses on the art and craft of visual effects using
real case scenarios from a visual effects cameraman. These lessons from
the front line will give you ideas and insight so you can translate your skills
into any situation, no matter what camera or software package you are
using and no matter if you are using film or digital technology. Learn how
to film your fantastic visual effects with this book!
* Hundreds of full-color set photographs show you exactly how its done
* Includes step-by-step information on green screen setup
* Real-world examples and exercises throughout
Personal Review: Filming the Fantastic: A Guide to Visual
Effects Cinematography by Mark Sawicki
Mark Sawicki's book, is a wonderful resource for those interested or
involved with the history and creation of visual effects for film and TV. This
book would be a great addition to a visual art students library - teachers
will also find the practical exercises excellent, while film industry
professionals will find the advice and commonsense approach to making
visual effects invaluable. I should stress that this beautifully illustrated book
is different to the glossy (and all too common) "how we made the effects
for such-and-such blockbuster", Filming the Fantastic is much more real
and practical, always encouraging the reader to learn by trying things for
themselves.
Filming the Fantastic is about creating visual effects - not just those made
by computers. The use of miniatures, matte painting and clever planning
demonstrate how time and money can be saved while producing
outstanding results. Marks professional effects experience provides the
framework for the book, backed up with interesting anecdotes and
exercises for the reader make their own special effect shots. A really
unique feature of this book is showing how to deal with the inevitable
situations where there has been little or no planning prior to filming.
This substantial book is crammed with photographs and diagrams,
illustrating the text and clearly explaining concepts for the reader. There is
considerable depth to the theory sections on colour, perspective and
lighting, making the book a fine reference work for any filmmaker. The
exciting thing I found about this book was sections such as "So you don't
have a million dollars" - which go into making effects with a low budget or if
you are challenged for time. Effects are created using home video
equipment with simple props - ideas on how to create you own blue
screens, superimposed backgrounds, stop motion animation, people falling
out of buildings, crowd replication and even a pan across an airplane crash

scene, can all be created with a few dollars and a few hours. This may
make the book sound too simplistic for a professional, however "in camera
effects" (as they are called) are becoming more rather than less common
in feature film production. These "tricks" are recognised as time savers in
the professional industry.
In summary this well written book is very easy to read with clear thought
out examples for students, teachers and professionals. Great illustrations
and photos explain the key concepts thoroughly while the broad topic
range make the book relevant for many people and situations.
A great gift for yourself or anyone interested in the magic of movie making.
My advice is to dust off the camera and try the effects for yourself!
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